


Politics and Tea Trays

by CobraOnTheCob



Series: spicy zutara fam being spicy and salty [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Anti-Maiko, F/M, anti Maiko, anti Zumai, anti-Zumai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27139118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobraOnTheCob/pseuds/CobraOnTheCob
Summary: Zuko has no idea what he wants now - the war's over, he and Mai are hugging, but there's something wrong.A tea tray solves it all.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: spicy zutara fam being spicy and salty [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982452
Kudos: 52





	Politics and Tea Trays

**Author's Note:**

> Two fics posted in a day? I'm spoiling y'all lol. I just wrote this because I got inspired by the Zutara server because of some angsty art aklsdfjawk
> 
> "Nightfalcon why is this tagged Zutara even though they don't get together in this fic?"
> 
> It's because this is going to be a two-part series and because this fic is kick-started by Katara wanting to at least confess to Zuko or something.

The soft _clunk_ of a tea tray being set down made him pull out of his embrace with Mai. His brain was still whirling - she still loved him? After everything? But he wasn’t sure in his feelings right now, but he let Mai take the lead - she deserves to, after all. 

Earlier, Katara told him to wait there as she got the tea for his pain, and he tried to put on his shirt to hide the bandages. That’s when Mai came in, and that’s where he was right now. 

Now, he sees a small flash of blue - familiar blue - and he runs after it. 

“Zuko?” Mai calls out to him, in typical Mai fashion. Zuko does not stop, instead he runs faster after where the blue disappeared around the corner. The tea tray that alerted him to Katara’s presence nearly tripped him, he leaped over it just in time to see her once more disappear around the corner. Coughing, he came to a stop and leaned against the wall. Katara came running around the corner in an instant, and saw him leaning against the wall, and her eyes widened.

“Zuko!” she said, “What, Zuko - “ She didn’t hesitate, she reached out her hands - one hand already coated with the healing water, the other moving in the bloodbending form as she checked over whatever he did to his heart. 

“I know, Kat, I know,” Zuko said once she finished her diagnosis, “It was stupid of me to run - “ He’s cut off by the look in her eyes - hurt, anger, and almost betrayal?

“You shouldn’t have,” she said quietly, “You have Mai now, you don’t need me.”

“Katara, what?” Zuko asked, his mind spinning.

“I saw you two kiss,” she said, and her cheeks flushed slightly, he noticed, “That’s why I left. You don’t need me anymore.” 

“Katara…”

“Congrats on getting back with her!” Katara said suddenly, her eyes too bright and her smile a little too big - he knows her smile and he knows her well enough that she’s faking - _she’sfakingshe’sfakingshe’sfaking_ \- 

“Katara, that’s not - I...I don’t know what I’m doing!” Zuko says, and her eyes widen.

“Zuko?” Mai’s voice cuts in, “What’s she doing here?”

“I was the one who healed your boyfriend,” Katara said flatly, matching Mai’s tone, “Hope you two will forever be in love.” With that, she turned away and walked off. Zuko wanted to call out to her but Mai grabbed his arm.

“Don’t hurt your heart,” Mai warned softly, and Zuko only glared at her.

“What do you want, Mai?”

“What?”

“Why do you want to be with me?”

“I...don’t hate you?” Mai tried. Zuko shook his head.

“I shouldn’t have let you kiss me, nor should I have hugged you.” Zuko said, “And I don’t feel comfortable with being told to ‘never break up with you again’.”

“Zuko, what are you saying?”

“I’m going to be the Fire Lord, Mai. A Fire Lord pulling the losing nation into a world that hates it. I need someone that understands where the rest of the world is coming from, not someone who has never known what it was like to be in the jaws of war.” 

“Zuko, my family - “

“To the rest of the world, the Fire Nation - especially the noble families - didn’t suffer like they did. What we did was horrendous - taking land from the Earth Kingdom, capturing benders and imprisoning them, the Air Nomad genocide, and not to mention any other atrocity they will throw at us when the other nations get together to decide what should happen to the Fire Nation - I need someone to understand why the rest of the world hates us for what we did.” 

“We were trying - “

“That’s not what we were doing,” Zuko said, “And I’m sorry Mai, I just...I don’t want to date someone right now. I can’t hold together a broken nation and date someone right now, I just can’t. Please.”

“You’re not even trying?” Mai asks softly.

“I did, once. And that wasn’t good enough for you.” Zuko said, “Okay. Why don’t we try something different.”

“Something different?”

“Give me until after the nations meet, then we can decide on what we want. Is that good enough for you?”

“Good enough for me? Putting _our_ relationship on hold?”

“Please,” Zuko nearly pleads, “The political battlefield is going to be brutal, but especially until the nations meet.”

“What is this all about, Zuko? Really, what is this about?”

“Mai, I’m trying to save our relationship by putting it on hold!” Zuko said, but he had to look down. Did he really want Mai? 

“That’s not how I see it. You like that peasant, don’t you?” Zuko’s head snapped up and looked her dead in the eyes.

“Peasant - I, who - Katara?!” Zuko said, and rage lanced through him, “Don’t you DARE call her, or anyone, a peasant, because WE’RE the reason why the Southern Water Tribe has been decimated. We have no right to call them peasants if we were the ones who took their benders in the first place.” 

“Go and date her, I don’t care,” Mai suddenly said, looking unfazed as usual by his outburst, “Hope that the other nobles don’t catch wind of that.”

“Mai, what do you mean?”

“I see why you don’t want to date me. You like her, don’t you?” Zuko’s silence was apparently all she needed, “Good luck explaining why you want to put a waterbender on the throne.”

“Get. Out.” Zuko said quietly, “Please, for all our sakes.” Mai looked furious, and for a minute Zuko was afraid she would throw something more lethal than a letter at him, but she turned and walked away. He breathed a sigh of relief when she disappeared around a corner, and then he went to follow where Katara left, but not before picking up the tea tray.

**Author's Note:**

> I ain't dealing with anons commenting "you tagged wrong" or "where's the Zutara?!" >:)


End file.
